Long and short of J Salik’ iftar dinner: A call to uphold peace in a society tarnished by intolerance and extremism

A big-league Pakistani Christian leader Julius Salik commonly known as J. Salik hosted an Iftar dinner in Karachi. The Former Federal Minister and Convener of World Minorities Alliance and Organizer Awami Maseeha Party organized an “All Parties Iftar Dinner.” The event was attended by Muslim representatives from more than 200 political parties registered with Election Commission of Pakistan, (ECP).

The dinner was held on June 28, at Pearl Continental Hotel, Karachi. This was a one of its kind event as the “All Parties iftar dinner” was held for the first time in the history of Pakistan. Senior leadership from mainstream parties including PPP, MQM, ANP, PML (F), PML (Q), JI, JUI, CCP and others along with Hindus and Christians attended this event. Dr. Farooq Sattar, Senator Said Ghanni, Senator Shahi Syed, Peer Shah, Yousaf Mastikhan, Asad Bhutto and others were present.

The host told the guests that the idea behind the All Parties Iftar dinner was to endorse and uphold inter-religious peace and synchronization between adherents of different religions. He said that the event was an opportunity to bring people from various political and religious backgrounds together and dine with each other.

At this occasion, the guests expressed their support and backing for the Supreme Court’ ruling in favor of the religious minorities in Pakistan. On August 5, 2015 the Supreme Court of Pakistan had directed the federal government to implement election system for minorities. The apex court further directed the Federal Government to conduct elections for the seats reserved for minorities.